This Wednesday, June 17, Zod Arifai, the beloved Chef/Owner of Blu and Next Door in Montclair will host what he dubs “Eat What You Want, Pay What You Want”.
Chef Arifai, known to combine modern cuisine with French, Italian and Asian influences, has wanted to bring this eating concept to fruition for a long time. With the impending closing of Blu and Next Door this summer, the acclaimed Chef has decided to take the plunge.
This is how the concept will work:
- As guests arrive, they’re handed a menu which features some of popular Blu and Next Door dishes.
- Diners then order whatever is on the menu that’s appealing to them. They can eat as many things as they want but must finish everything ordered, ensuring no food waste occurs, and can’t take food home.
- At the end of what’s sure to be a memorable meal, customers are given a check listing what they ate and the dishes’ associated costs. There, the guest will enter what he/she wishes to pay and what the gratuity amount is and tax is then added by the restaurants. The goal is to have the guests take ownership of determining what he/she wants to pay for the meal.
Chef Arifai tells me he’ll repeat this dining concept again if he receives good customer feedback.
The ones of us who have been patrons of Blu and Next Door understand and appreciate the slightly mad scientist-ish techniques and ingredients used by Chef Arifai to produce some of the best food in the area. Time will tell if the mad scientist has truly gone mad, or if he’ll teach his peers a thing or two about hospitality.
Blu and Next Door – 554 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair, NJ. 973-509-2202.
Cheers,
Veronique
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